Signatures (Basic): Three ways to use e-signing in TaxDome

Using electronic signatures allows clients to sign important documents and agreements, such as proposals or regular payments, from their phones or computers, which saves everyone time. E-signatures are just as legally binding as putting pen to paper. Plus, you can also request e-signatures from more than one person for the same document.

Covered here:

• E-signatures, explained
• Request clients to e-sign completed documents and forms
• Request clients to e-sign an agreement with your firm
• Request clients to e-sign the agreement that includes regular payments to your firm

E-signatures, explained

Electronic signatures have been recognized by law in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia since the early 2000s. An e-signature is just as valid as a handwritten signature, but clients don’t have to take time from their busy schedules to print, sign, make copies and mail a document back via regular mail. Instead, they e-sign documents and accept agreements on their TaxDome portal.

There are three ways to use electronic signatures on TaxDome:

• Requesting clients to e-sign completed documents and forms
  • Great for official government forms
  • You can request KBA/QES
  • You can freely adjust the signature location
  • You can allow clients to e-sign documents without logging into the client portal
• Requesting clients to e-sign an agreement with your firm
  • Great for proposals and engagement letters, doesn't work for official government forms
  • Quick setup
• Requesting clients to e-sign an agreement that includes regular payments to your firm
  • Quick setup
  • Request client's approval on charging their card automatically in accordance with a schedule

Request clients to e-sign completed documents and forms

Here's how to use e-signatures with our  Request signature feature:

1. Upload the document.

2. Go to  Documents, click the three dots to the far right of the PDF, then click Request signature in the pull-down.

3. Choose the signer manually in the  Signers list, add them using their email or apply a signature template.

4. Indicate where the client needs to add their signature.

5. Add as many e-signature fields as you need, one for each signer.

6. Add a custom message for the client. 

7. Add any number of date and free-text fields to request any information you need from a client.

8. Add your or your team members' e-signatures to documents.

Here’s what e-signing looks like for the client:

Once the client has e-signed, you’re alerted with a notification in your email and Inbox+. The completed document is visible in the client account profile and downloadable.

Note! TaxDome does not currently support e-signatures for password-protected documents.

Tip! Read more about requesting e-signatures from clients

Request clients to e-sign an agreement with your firm

Here's how to use e-signatures with our  Proposals feature:

1. Create proposal templates for your agreements. You won’t need to mark up the document with e-signatures fields; an e-signature request and an agreement to terms are automatically added to the proposal template.

Please note that you can't adjust the signature location in proposals. It will always be at the bottom of the page.

2. Edit templates and send proposals to clients for e-signing.

3. All contacts with a Signatory authority that are linked to the client's account will be prompted to e-sign the proposal from their client portal. The proposal is signed when all the parties have added their e-signatures. If you added an invoice on proposal acceptance, at least one contact must enter their payment details to proceed.

Here’s what the e-signing process looks like for the client:

4. Once your clients have e-signed, you are alerted with a notification in your email and Inbox+. The completed proposal is visible in the client account profile. By clicking the name of the proposal, you can see the client's signature, along with the date and time stamp.

Tip! Read more on using the Proposals feature to send engagement letters and proposals.

Request clients to e-sign an agreement that includes regular payments to your firm

Here's how to use e-signatures with our  Recurring invoices feature:

1. Create a recurring invoice  with automatic payment authorization. You won’t need to mark it up with e-signature fields; an e-signature request and an agreement to terms are automatically added to the recurring invoice.

2. All contacts with a signatory authority linked to the client account will be prompted to e-sign the recurring invoice from their client portal. However, a single signature is enough to accept a recurring invoice.

3. Once your clients have e-signed, you are alerted with a notification in your email and Inbox+; the client's credit card/bank account will be charged automatically in accordance with a schedule inlined in the recurring invoice.

Tip! Read more about how to use recurring invoices.